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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Pekka Rinne named Vezina Trophy finalist for second year in a row

The National Hockey League announced today that Pekka Rinne was one of three finalist for the 2012 Vezina Trophy that will be given out at the NHL Awards Show at the Wynn Encore Hotel in Las Vegas on June 20.

The Vezina Trophy is voted upon by NHL General Managers and goes to the "goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position."

The other nominees are Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers and Jonathan Quick from the Los Angeles Kings.

Last year, Rinne finished a close second to Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins. He also finished fourth in the Hart Trophy balloting which was won by Anaheim's Corey Perry. Rinne actually finished ahead of Thomas in the Hart voting.

Make the jump for the full release from the NHL...

LUNDQVIST, QUICK AND RINNE NAMED VEZINA TROPHY FINALISTS

NEW YORK (April 25, 2012) -- Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings and Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators are the three finalists for the 2011-12 Vezina Trophy, which is awarded “to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position,” the National Hockey League announced today.

The general managers of the 30 NHL clubs submitted ballots for the Vezina Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 20, during the 2012 NHL Awards from Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. The 2012 NHL Awards will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network in the United States and CBC in Canada.

Following are the finalists for the Vezina Trophy, in alphabetical order:

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

Lundqvist was the anchor of a Rangers club that posted its best regular-season record since the Stanley Cup season of 1993-94 and captured first place in the Eastern Conference. He went 39-18-5 in 62 appearances, setting a career high in wins and becoming the first goaltender in NHL history with 30-plus wins in each of his first seven seasons. He placed near the top in all major goaltending categories: third in wins, tied for third in shutouts (eight), fourth in goals-against average (1.97) and fourth in save percentage (.930). Lundqvist is in quest of his first Vezina Trophy win, following third-place finishes from 2006 through 2008.

Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings

Quick was exceptional in backstopping a Kings team that ranked 29th overall in offense to a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Coming off a franchise-record, 39-win season in 2010-11, the first-time NHL Trophy finalist posted a 35-21-13 record to become the first Los Angeles goaltender to post 30 wins in three consecutive seasons. Quick led all NHL goaltenders with a franchise-record 10 shutouts and also ranked among League leaders in goals-against average (second, 1.95), save percentage (fifth, .929) and victories (T-fifth, 35). He allowed one goal or shut out the opposition in 27 games and surrendered two goals or fewer 46 times.

Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

Rinne was among the NHL's busiest netminders in 2011-12, leading the League in shots faced (2,153) and saves (1,987), tying for first place in appearances (73) and ranking second in starts (72) and minutes (4,168:52). He thrived under the workload, topping all goaltenders in wins (43-18-8) and posting a 2.39 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and five shutouts. He was particularly tough to beat with a lead, as the Predators posted the NHL's second-best points percentage when scoring first (.833, 35-3-4). Rinne earned his second consecutive nomination as a Vezina finalist, having finished second to Boston's Tim Thomas last year.

History

Leo Dandurand, Louis Letourneau and Joe Cattarinich, former owners of the Montreal Canadiens, presented the trophy to the National Hockey League in 1926-27 in memory of Georges Vezina, the outstanding Canadiens goaltender who collapsed during an NHL game on Nov. 28, 1925, and died of tuberculosis a few months later. Until the 1981-82 season, the goaltender(s) of the team allowing the fewest number of goals during the regular season were awarded the Vezina Trophy.

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